


In Living Color

by foundmyhome



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-20
Updated: 2015-03-20
Packaged: 2018-03-18 17:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3577653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foundmyhome/pseuds/foundmyhome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life without color can get pretty boring.  But unless you meet your soulmate, there aren't really a lot of options.  And even though Emma Swan's parents are notoriously known for "breaking the curse" with their first kiss, being the "product of True Love" doesn't give you any advantages.  When Emma's 28th birthday rolls around, she makes a wish surrounded by her colorless friends and family: to, just this once, not be alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Living Color

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short drabble I wrote on the train! Not beta'd so don't get too offended! This is the product of reading WAY too many soulmate au prompts.

Emma Swan had green eyes.

She knew this. It was written on her birth certificate, whispered to her by lucky classmates. Her parents described it in as much depth as they could, explaining that the green was the shade that decorated the forest floors and tops of the trees. Her father would stroke her hair--that she was told was blonde, a yellow color that was a diluted shade of the sunshine--and tell her that no words could properly describe his beautiful daughter’s beautiful jade eyes.

Emma knew she had green eyes. She just wished she knew what green was.

Although there were long winded scientific theories about the matter, no one really knew why people suddenly had stopped seeing color. The world, blinding one generation and keeping the subsequent ones colorless, became varying degrees of gray. There was still beauty in the world, sure; but was it really as beautiful as it had been? She certainly didn’t think so.

The only people who did see colors were the lucky ones who met their soulmates. Some people said it happened gradually; the first thing they noticed was their partner’s lips, then their eyes, then their hair, until finally the whole world blossomed into color. Other people, like her own parents, said it happened at first kiss. She might be biased, but Emma’s favorite story was her mom’s. When Mary Margaret Blanchard had pressed her lips against her date’s cheek at the end of their first dinner together, everything changed. The world was bright and colored and David Nolan proposed on the spot.

With parents like hers, with a childhood nickname of ‘the product of True Love’, Emma had been anticipating finding hers early.

But, not everyone had soulmates. Not everyone found theirs. And as Emma brushed her maybe yellow hair away from her probably green eyes, leaning over the cake with twenty-eight candles poking out, she was fairly positive she never would find hers.

She closed her eyes, holding her breath as she prepares to blow out the candles. She could hear everyone around her, happy and waiting and in love. That was the thing about soulmate parents. They tended to flock around their own kind, and Emma’s whole life had been surrounded with aunts and uncles who saw color and felt love.

For once, Emma really wished she didn’t have to be alone.

“Happy birthday!” Her friends and family cheered around her as she blew the birthday candles out. Her parents leaned down, her mother wrapping her arms around her while her father planted a kiss on the top of her head.

“Another banner year,” she muttered, glancing around the dark room. Her mom squeezed her shoulder. If there was one thing she could rely on Mom for, it was to hold out hope.

Dad slid his chair closer to Emma’s, leaning closer to whisper under the pretense of cutting the cake. “You’re not really missing out, Ems.” He nodded his head towards Regina Mills, the mayor of Storybrooke and her mom’s biggest frenemie. “Madame Mayor is way more terrifying in color.”

It wasn’t the best point her dad had haplessly made to make her feel better, but she appreciated the effort. And, besides, he was right; well, his intentions were right. True Love--soulmates--it wasn’t for everyone. She saw the way her parents looked at each other, the way they would do anything for the other one; she saw the way they would absolutely break apart if something happened to the other one. Emma was a lot of things but the one thing she wasn’t was weak. She was not dependent on anyone. She didn’t need anyone.

“Thanks, Dad.” She accepted the plate of chocolate cake he was offering her and slid out of her chair, leaning against the wall in the corner. They had rented out all of Granny’s for the celebration. The room was filled, crowded with people celebrating her. Birthdays used to be filled with anticipation and nervous stomachs and joy. She used to wonder if this would be the year she finally met him.

She bit into the cake on her fork, sighing. At least chocolate would never let her down. And, really, before her best friend, Ruby, had met Graham, she had definitely dated guys worse than chocolate cake. Emma would be fine.

The door above Granny’s jingled and everyone’s eyes shot towards the door. Emma was standing too far in the corner, hiding near the coat rack to see the intruder.

“Oh--I’m sorry.” The voice had a gentle lilt, a soft accent that Emma wasn’t at all opposed to hearing.

“We’re closed,” Granny raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. “Special day.”   
“Terribly sorry.” The man spoke again and an idea shot through Emma. Maybe what she needed was a good old fashion distraction. And any guy with a voice like that would definitely work.

“Wait!” She called out, trying to get a look at the guy. She stumbled through the coats, her high heeled boot catching on the bottom of the rack. She tripped, flying towards the ground.

“Emma!” Her dad’s voice rang past the gasps that everyone had let out when they watched her fall.

The stranger’s arms closed around her, catching her before she could reach the ground.

“Careful, lass.” She was pressed against his chest, could feel the low rumble of his voice against her palms. Oh, he would definitely be a good distraction.

She glanced up at him, trying to straighten herself out and get a proper look at him, and--

Colors shot up everywhere.

Ropes of brightness filled her vision; she blinked, anxiously, but it wasn’t a trick. The colors stayed and she let out a laugh.

The man in front of her was more beautiful than she could’ve ever imagined. His skin was a soft, light color while his hair was blacker than the blackest image she’d ever seen. Her peripheral vision was vivid, bright, overwhelming but she couldn’t spare a glance. Even when her mother called her in a questioning tone, Emma could tear her eyes away from his.

They were the kindest eyes she’d ever seen. They looked infinitely deep, the color brighter than anything she could have ever imagined. It reminded of her of when she went to the ocean with her parents. She thought she could drown as easily in these strangers eyes as she could the crashing waves.

His lips parted, his expression awed.

“I’m Killian Jones,” he murmured. His arms tightened around her, one palm sliding up until it rested against her neck while his other arm stayed firm on her waist.

“Emma Swan.” She kept one hand on his chest, his heart beating sporadic rhythms against her palm, while the other traced the scar beneath his eye.

Emma knew she was causing a scene, that her friends and family were likely concerned that she had lost her mind, but she couldn’t seem to care because Killian Jones was holding her, and looking at her like she was more than he could’ve wished for, and she was thinking that he was, too.

“Emma, what’s wrong?” She hadn’t realized her dad had gotten closer to her, but considering his worried tone, she figured he had been calling after her for a while.

“Daddy,” she really did try to pry her eyes away from him, to look at her father’s face, but her eyes flickered to his lips and she couldn’t look away. “This is Killian Jones. My true love.”


End file.
